Landlord couple fined £90k over fatal flat fire

Landlords who rented out a "grossly overcrowded" flat on an estate in east London have been fined more than £90k, following a fatal fire.

Mizanur Rahman, 41, died at hospital following the blaze at Maddocks House on Cornwall Street, in Shadwell, in March 2023.

It is thought he was one of up to 22 people living in the three-room flat.

Husband and wife Sofina Begum, 52, and Aminur Rahman, 55, had previously pleaded guilty to nine housing offences.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Judge Emma Smith said both defendants showed "blatant disregard to the law and welfare of the occupants."

She added that the defendants' only concern was for their "own financial gain".

An inquest earlier this year heard father-of-two Mizanur Rahman died from the effects of smoke inhalation during the fire.

The fire had been started by a faulty lithium-ion e-bike battery that was charging at the time, an investigation found.

Gemma Gillett, for Tower Hamlets Council, who brought the case, told the court: "It is clear that the property was, and had been considerably for some time, grossly overcrowded.

"The information available suggests that some 23 people were in occupation of the flat.

"One of the occupants was taken to hospital and subsequently died."

Begum, whose name was on the licence, pleaded guilty to six offences, including knowingly permitting unlicensed occupation, four counts of failing to comply with licence conditions, and failing to comply with the requirements of a licence notice.

Rahman, who collected the rent and was the person responsible for the property, has pleaded guilty to one count of each of these three offences.

They failed to allow regular inspections, did not have a current gas certificate, and did not produce the documents required of them as the controller or manager of the property.

After the fire, Rahman told a liaison officer that he rented the flat to two people and he did not know who the others were.

But one of the residents told liaison officers that he paid rent to Rahman.

Ms Gillett said: "At this point, Mr Rahman claimed not to speak English and the conversation ended."

She said the "overall picture was of a property of longer-term occupiers and transient individuals".

Harun Matin, defending, said the couple knew there were more people than permitted to be; however, they had no knowledge of the actual number of people staying.

He said: "They have become aware since that some residents were effectively renting out their space.

"There were things happening and people staying in the property that they did not have knowledge of."

The property has since been repossessed by the bank.

The pair admitted offences including failing to supply a valid gas safety certificate and knowingly allowing overcrowding at Thames Magistrates' Court.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Sofina Begum was ordered to pay a confiscation order of £78,049. In addition, she was fined £10k and made to pay a £2k contribution towards the prosecution costs.

Amminur Rahman was also fined £2k. He also received a confiscation order of £40,275 but is only expected to pay £1.01.

Following sentencing, Nasmush Shahadat, a survivor of the fire, said: "We are pleased that the landlords who exploited us and kept us in an unsafe, dangerous flat are punished. Now we need justice.

"We lost property as a result of their negligence. We were traumatised by the fire. We lost a friend.

"We ask Tower Hamlets Council to explain what they will do with the money confiscated from the landlords. Will this be made available for us to secure justice?"

Daniel Cooper, solicitor for the victims, said: "On behalf of the victims who lived at the flat and survived the fire, we want to know what Tower Hamlets Council will be doing with the landlords' funds and whether these will be made available to the victims who have suffered terribly."

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: "Any fines imposed by the court are paid to the Treasury. Confiscation is entirely separate from the fine.

"Typically, confiscated funds are returned to the prosecuting authority, minus a 50% share paid to the Home Office and 12.5% paid to HM Courts and Tribunals Service. The funds paid to the council are then reinvested into further enforcement efforts."

After the hearing, executive mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: "It is completely unacceptable that some landlords continue to exploit tenants by allowing overcrowding, flouting essential safety regulations, and putting people's lives at risk.

"We are clamping down on rogue landlords who operate in our borough. We pursued this prosecution, and the court's decision sends a clear message: we will not tolerate criminal landlords who endanger lives for profit."

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